Law clerk on the Nevada Supreme CourtDeputy public defender and later chief of the appellate division in Santa Clara County (1966)Taught a seminar in criminal defense at Stanford Law SchoolAppointed by Governor Jerry Brown as California's Secretary of Agriculture (1975)Appointed Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court (1977)

Firsts:

Female law clerk on the Nevada Supreme Court (1965)Female deputy public defender in Santa Clara County (1966)Woman to teach at Stanford law school (1966)Woman to hold a cabinet level position in the state of California (1975)Woman appointed to the court (1977)

An analysis of Bird's role in the creation of the CA Agriculture Labor Relations Board.An examination of Bird's death penalty cases.An examination of the cases that Bird, as a public defender, argued before the CA Supreme Court.An examination of the seven attempts to have Bird removed from the CA Supreme Court (note that this topic is already covered by a pre-existing paper).An analysis of the lawsuit filed by the ACLU against Sheriff Duffy for using on-duty deputies to distribute campaign paraphernalia to have Bird removed from the CA Supreme Court.An analysis of People v. Caudillo, in which Bird, for the Court, found that rape did not constitute great bodily injury for purposes of a statute requiring increased sentences for felonies that involved great bodily injury.An analysis of Bird's dissent in upholding Proposition 13, which dealt with property taxes, placing a 1 percent ceiling on the tax rate and rolling back assessment values to 1975 levels or the value on the date of acquisition for property acquired after 1975.An analysis of Bird's support for school busing for desegregating the Los Angeles County School District.An analysis of People v. Tanner, which overturned a 1975 law that required prison terms for persons who used a gun during a violent crime.